Siege of Philippsburg (1644)

Siege of Philippsburg
Part of the Thirty Years' War
Painting of the siege by Jean-Baptiste Le Paon (1769)
Date 25 August – 12 September 1644 (2 weeks and 4 days) Location Philippsburg, Prince-Bishopric of Speyer, Holy Roman Empire, (present-day Germany) 49°14′13″N 8°27′17″E / 49.2370°N 8.4548°E / 49.2370; 8.4548 Result French victory
Belligerents
France	Holy Roman Empire
Commanders and leaders
Duc d'Enghien Vicomte de Turenne Duc de Gramont	Caspar Baumberger
Strength
5,000 men[1]	500 men[1]

The siege of Philippsburg (25 August – 12 September 1644) was a French siege of the Rhine fortress of Philippsburg during the Thirty Years' War. After the battle of Freiburg in early August, the French under the Duc d'Enghien refrained from attacking the city and marched north to besiege the imperial-held Philippsburg instead. The place fell after a two-week siege.

With Philippsburg and the subsequent capture of Mainz, the French took control of the northern Rhine valley, enabling them to launch offensives into the interior of Germany and against Bavaria, the emperor's most important ally. Afterwards, the Bavarian Elector Maximilian believed that the war could no longer be won by military means and urged Emperor Ferdinand III to conclude a separate peace with France.